Edwin Jay

Liz from New Jersey writes: I have a heavy brass 4-pillared Edwin Jay from Italy. I'd like to know when it was made and if this design was unusual.

Ron: Thank you for your inquiry accompanied by such excellent pictures. It is really a pleasure to get images along with a corkscrew question. Edwin Jay was an American company that imported items into the United States. Your brass corkscrew is a typical Italian four post design which originated in the late 19th century. Your Edwin Jay example has a nice centre point archimedean helix and is a very attractive model manufactured some time well into the 20th century. This type was manufactured in great numbers with variations in handle, frame and helix types by different Italian companies.

The design is not rare by any means as they often surface on Ebay. If you have a copy there are two different Italian marked examples in The Ultimate Corkscrew Book by Don Bull; on page 62 an Edwin Jay brass flynut model (at upper left) and a brass roll over nut locking handle Edwin Jay may be seen on page 67 (top photo left).

Edwin Jay Corkscrews